2013 February 25, 13:00
CET

SKF has installed the SKF Proflex automated lubrication systems in the MSC Home Terminal cranes inEurope’s second largest port, Belgium’s Port of Antwerp, enabling the customer to reduce manual maintenance with about 1,900 hours annually.

On average, the customer spent about 90 hours to perform lubrication routines manually and this is carried out when the cranes are not in operation. As the container port traffic experiences double digit growth yearly, the terminal operator faces increased time pressure and shorter maintenance windows to carry out the work.

“By automating the lubrication process,the SKF ProFlex system is an ideal solution for our customer. Previous manual lubrication routines required a lot of man-hours per year, per crane. SKF ProFlex systems are now supporting crane availability and are helping to cut downtime and productivity loss. The systems also eliminate the safety risks workers are exposed to if they would need to perform the manual lubrication work on the cranes,” says Henrik Lange, SKF President Industrial Market, Strategic Industries.

SKF ProFlex system features a pump unit that delivers grease to a series of progressive feeders, which can automatically supply a defined amount of lubricant up to 150 lubrication points. The installed system at the port lubricates the wheel base, winch and trolley, supplying the exact amount of lubricant to over 60-points on each crane. Additionally, SKF fitted each SKF ProFlex system with control options on pumps, distributors and feeders, allowing the customer to monitor the systems from the office and keeping the cranes in optimal condition.

SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 15,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2012 were SEK 64,575 million and the number of employees was 46,775. www.skf.com